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Ten ways to save money when travelling

So you’ve done the math twenty times but you’re still a few hundred dollars short in the budget department. Here’s ten ways to save money – US$1,400 to be exact – while travelling. Just think how much more you could do, see and experience with that extra $1,400!

1) Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of hiking boots.

You won’t need them. Trekking in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam isn’t like trekking in Nepal or Peru. Most get by just fine with a good pair of sturdy sandals. Hiking boots are hot, they’ll start to smell really bad, you’ll be needing to take them off over and over again to visit temples and enter guesthouses, and they’re heavy.

Estimated saving over a month: US$285 (based on an average pair of quality boots going for US$300, with a sturdy set of leather sandles for around $15)

2) Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on malarials.

Unless you’re planning on sleeping naked in a swamp in remote areas along the Thai/Burma border, chances are you’ll not need to take malarials during your trip. If your family doctor starts writing out a script for months of malarials as soon as you say “Asia”, go and see a travel doctor for a second opinion. If the travel doctor says you still need them, then buy generic equivalents upon arrival in Asia – at a fraction of the cost of what you’ll pay at home. But remember, if you are visiting destinations on the main tourist trail in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and are not planning on spending time in remote rural areas, you do not need to take malarials. Instead use repellent, dress sensibly at mosquito feasting times (light coloured clothing, with long sleeves and pants), and use a mosquito net.

Estimated saving over a month: US$135 (Based of $3 a Doxyxyline pill for fourty five days — a month and a week before and after.)

3) Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on brand new guidebooks.

As you’re reading this on Travelfish, you’ve already got the right idea. Regarding guidebooks, buy the book for the first country you’re heading to and buy/swap as you travel for the others. Not that we support piracy, but … pirated (photocopied or bound) versions of Lonely Planet guides are available throughout Vietnam and Cambodia – Yup that’s right, that US$20 guidebook to Laos you bought at Borders yesterday can be purchased on the street in Phnom Penh for $2. The regional guides (Southeast Asia on a Shoestring etc) are hardly worth using in our opinion and you’ll be FAR better served by the country-specific guidebook for each destination. Buy/Swap/Sell.

Estimated saving over a month: US$80 (based on purchase cost of four guidebooks at a cost of $100 Vs one real guidebook for $20, then swap or buy a fake one)

4) Invest in a digital camera.

Asia is a beautiful region and you’ll take photos — lots of them. If you’re shooting film or slide you’ll be looking at hundreds of dollars to process all your happy shots. A mid-range digital camera (say around US$300) will pay for itself in no time at all and if you buy the right one, you’ll get a video camera as a part of the package.

Estimated saving over a month: break even, but you’ve save money on your next trip.

5) Don’t buy a sleeping bag.

You won’t need it. If anything, get a sleep sheet or a couple of sarongs, but nearly all lodgings will have sheets and treks will have bedding organised. Plus sleeping bags are hot (you’re in the tropics remember) and they take up space that could be filled with trinkets.

Estimated saving over a month: $190 (based on a $200 sleeping bag Vs a $10 sleep sheet)

6) Travel second class

The train system in Morocco has “C class” — locals joke the C stands for Corpses, Crates and Cattle. Thankfully 2nd and 3rd class in Asia is nowhere near as bad. In virtually all cases, 2nd class is more than enough – and it’s generally about half the price.

Estimated saving over a month: US$50-100

7) Drink water not beer

Both beer and water are cheap in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The former makes you fat and drunk, the latter slim and hydrated. While beer is often super cheap — say US$1 for a big bottle, water is often cheaper. Drink alcohol in moderation and you’ll be surprised just how quickly the savings pile up – and that’s without even counting the greasy $5 American Breakfast you’ll find yourself craving the morning after the night before. If you don’t want to listen to us, listen to your Mum. Drink less booze and you’ll save more baht.

Estimated saving over a month: US$90 (Based on four beers a night vs one, at $1 a beer -doesn’t include the greasy breakfast.)

8.) Fan good air-con bad

You’re in the tropics so you know it is going to be hot, but the evenings are often surprisingly cool. If you’re on the beach, look for rooms with good window space to let in that fine sea breeze. In cities you want a room on a higher floor and preferably with a window. Oddly, often rooms on the upper floors are cheaper.??

Estimated saving over a month: US$300 (based on an average for of $10 for a fan room Vs $20 for an air-con one)

9) Money management

Check with your bank before leaving to find out just what charges they have for overseas withdraws from ATMs and for cash advances. The fees may curl your hair and make travellers cheques look a lot more sensible as bank fees on a month-long trip in Asia can easily mount into the hundreds of dollars. When your bank tells you they have a US$5 charge per foreign bank withdrawal, plus an extra 5% spread on the exchange rate, you know which way to run — either straight to a bank that doesn’t, or to the closest American Express office for some travellers cheques.

Estimated saving over a month: US$100 (based on personal experience of one month in Vietnam foolishly using a Commonwealth Bank of Australia credit card)

10) Food, food, food.

Most guesthouses will offer what they call an “American Breakfast”. This is normally two greasy eggs, a couple of plastic sausages, manufactured ham and a decorative tomato or cucumber. Don’t be surprised when it costs US$5. Skip the overpriced fatfest, walk out the door and plonk yourself down for some fried rice or noodle soup for a dollar.

Estimated saving over a month: US$120 (Based on $5 fatfest Vs $1 noodle soup)

Five more little tips

1) Buy your Travel Insurance through Travelfish.

?Buy your travel insurance with World Nomads through Travelfish and you’ll save 5% on the policy cost. (See the Member Centre for more information — Americans and Canadians not eligible sorry!)

2) Get your visas in Asia, not at home.

Visas for other Asian countries are almost always cheaper in other Asian countries than in the west. For example a visa for Vietnam costs A$70 in Sydney, Australia or US$30 in Cambodia.

3) Catch the bus, not a cab.

Where possible use public transport rather than taxis. Taxis remain very cheap, but the bus system, particularly in the larger cities in Thailand and Vietnam, is even cheaper. Bangkok, Saigon and Hanoi all have comprehensive and very affordable bus systems.

4) Get your travellers cheques in large denominations.

Exchange kiosks will often charge a flat fee per travellers cheque. So to change five US$20 travellers cheques may cost you $5 ($1 per cheque) while a single US$100 cheque will cost you just $1 to change. Don’t get travellers cheques in anything smaller than US$100.

5) Look into the Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass.

If you’re planning on a few flights between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, then the Discovery Airpass can be a steal. Note the Airpass CANNOT be purchased in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand or Vietnam – you must buy it in your home country.

Travelfish.org

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35 Secrets Your Pilot Won’t Tell You

What You Don’t Want to Know

“I’m constantly under pressure to carry less fuel than I’m comfortable with. Airlines are always looking at the bottom line, and you burn fuel carrying fuel. Sometimes if you carry just enough fuel and you hit thunderstorms or delays, then suddenly you’re running out of gas and you have to go to an alternate airport.” -Captain at a major airline

“Sometimes the airline won’t give us lunch breaks or even time to eat. We have to delay flights just so we can get food.” -First officer on a regional carrier

“We tell passengers what they need to know. We don’t tell them things that are going to scare the pants off them. So you’ll never hear me say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we just had an engine failure,’ even if that’s true.” -Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, Phoenix

“The Department of Transportation has put such an emphasis on on-time performance that we pretty much aren’t allowed to delay a flight anymore, even if there are 20 people on a connecting flight that’s coming in just a little late.” -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, North Carolina

“The truth is, we’re exhausted. Our work rules allow us to be on duty 16 hours without a break. That’s many more hours than a truck driver. And unlike a truck driver, who can pull over at the next rest stop, we can’t pull over at the next cloud.” -Captain at a major airline

What We Want You to Know

“Some FAA rules don’t make sense to us either. Like the fact that when we’re at 39,000 feet going 400 miles an hour, in a plane that could hit turbulence at any minute, [flight attendants] can walk around and serve hot coffee and Chateaubriand. But when we’re on the ground on a flat piece of asphalt going five to ten miles an hour, they’ve got to be buckled in like they’re at NASCAR.” -Jack Stephan, US Airways captain based in Annapolis, Maryland, who has been flying since 1984

“The two worst airports for us: Reagan National in Washington, D.C., and John Wayne in Orange County, California. You’re flying by the seat of your pants trying to get in and out of those airports. John Wayne is especially bad because the rich folks who live near the airport don’t like jet noise, so they have this noise abatement procedure where you basically have to turn the plane into a ballistic missile as soon as you’’re airborne.” -Pilot, South Carolina

“At some airports with really short runways, you’re not going to have a smooth landing no matter how good we are: John Wayne Airport; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Chicago Midway; and Reagan National.” -Joe D’Eon, a pilot at a major airline who produces a podcast at flywithjoe.com

“I may be in uniform, but that doesn’t mean I’m the best person to ask for directions in the airport. We’re in so many airports that we usually have no idea.” -Pilot for a regional carrier, Charlotte, North Carolina

“This happens all the time: We’ll be in Pittsburgh going to Philly, and there will be a weather delay. The weather in Pittsburgh is beautiful. Then I’ll hear passengers saying, ‘You know, I just called my friend in Philly, and it’s beautiful there too,’ like there’s some kind of conspiracy or something. But in the airspace between Pittsburgh and Philly there’s a huge thunderstorm.” -Jack Stephan

“You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the curb, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you’re really on a regional airline. The regionals aren’t held to the same safety standards as the majors: Their pilots aren’t required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn’t know that.” -Captain at a major airline

“Most of the time, how you land is a good indicator of a pilot’s skill. So if you want to say something nice to a pilot as you’re getting off the plane, say ‘Nice landing.’ We do appreciate that.” -Joe D’Eon

“Cabin air is not as dirty as people think. A portion of the air is recirculated because that helps to reduce humidity. But it’s run through hospital-quality HEPA filters, and it’s actually cleaner than the air found in most public buildings.” -Patrick Smith, commercial pilot and author, askthepilot.com

“No, it’s not your imagination: Airlines really have adjusted their flight arrival times so they can have a better record of on-time arrivals. So they might say a flight takes two hours when it really takes an hour and 45 minutes.” -AirTran Airways captain, Atlanta

When to Worry

“It’s one thing if the pilot puts the seat belt sign on for the passengers. But if he tells the flight attendants to sit down, you’d better listen. That means there’s some serious turbulence ahead.” -John Greaves, airline accident lawyer and former airline captain, Los Angeles

“There’s no such thing as a water landing. It’s called crashing into the ocean.” -Pilot, South Carolina

“A plane flies into a massive updraft, which you can’t see on the radar at night, and it’s like hitting a giant speed bump at 500 miles an hour. It throws everything up in the air and then down very violently. That’s not the same as turbulence, which bounces everyone around for a while.” -John Nance, aviation safety analyst and retired airline captain, Seattle

“Is traveling with a baby in your lap safe? No. It’s extremely dangerous. If there’s any impact or deceleration, there’s a good chance you’re going to lose hold of your kid, and he becomes a projectile. But the government’s logic is that if we made you buy an expensive seat for your baby, you’d just drive, and you’re more likely to be injured driving than flying.” -Patrick Smith

When Not to Worry

“Pilots find it perplexing that so many people are afraid of turbulence. It’s all but impossible for turbulence to cause a crash. We avoid turbulence not because we’re afraid the wing is going to fall off but because it’s annoying.” -Patrick Smith

“People always ask, ‘What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?’ I tell them it was a van ride from the Los Angeles airport to the hotel, and I’m not kidding.” -Jack Stephan

“I’ve been struck by lightning twice. Most pilots have. Airplanes are built to take it. You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that’s it. You’re not going to fall out of the sky.” -Pilot for a regional carrier, Charlotte, North Carolina

We Don’t Get It

“Most of you wouldn’t consider going down the highway at 60 miles an hour without your seat belt fastened. But when we’re hurtling through the air at 500 miles an hour and we turn off the seat belt sign, half of you take your seat belts off. But if we hit a little air pocket, your head will be on the ceiling.” -Captain at a major airline

“If you’re going to recline your seat, for God’s sake, please check behind you first. You have no idea how many laptops are broken every year by boorish passengers who slam their seat back with total disregard to what’s going on behind them.” -John Nance

“There is no safest place to sit. In one accident, the people in the back are dead; in the next, it’s the people up front.” -John Nance

Advice for Nervous Fliers

“The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing. The bumpiest place to sit is in the back. A plane is like a seesaw. If you’re in the middle, you don’t move as much.” -Patrick Smith

“If you’re a nervous flier, book a morning flight. The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it’s much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon.” -Jerry Johnson, pilot, Los Angeles

What Really Drives Us Crazy

“Please don’t complain to me about your lost bags or the rotten service or that the airline did this or that. My retirement was taken to help subsidize your $39 airfare.” -Pilot, South Carolina

“Here’s a news flash: We’re not sitting in the cockpit listening to the ball game. Sometimes we can ask the controllers to go to their break room to check the score. But when I fly to Pittsburgh on a Sunday afternoon, the passengers send the flight attendants up at least ten times to ask us the Steelers score.” -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, North Carolina

“I am so tired of hearing ‘Oh my God, you’re a girl pilot.’ When you see a black pilot, do you say ‘Oh my God, you’re a black pilot’?” -Pilot for a regional carrier

Those Silly Rules, Explained

“We don’t make you stow your laptop because we’re worried about electronic interference. It’s about having a projectile on your lap. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get hit in the head by a MacBook going 200 miles per hour.” -Patrick Smith

“People don’t understand why they can’t use their cell phones. Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we really are.” -Jim Tilmon

“We’re not trying to ruin your fun by making you take off your headphones. We just want you to be able to hear us if there’s an emergency.” -Patrick Smith

“We ask you to put up the window shade so the flight attendants can see outside in an emergency, to assess if one side is better for an evacuation. It also lets light into the cabin if it goes dark and helps passengers get oriented if the plane flips or rolls over.” -Patrick Smith

It’s Not All Glamour Up in the Air

“When you get on that airplane at 7 a.m., you want your pilot to be rested and ready. But the hotels they put us in now are so bad that there are many nights when I toss and turn. They’re in bad neighborhoods, they’re loud, they’ve got bedbugs, and there have been stabbings in the parking lot.” -Jack Stephan

“Those buddy passes they give us? I give them only to my enemies now. Sure, you can get a $1,000 airfare to Seattle for $100. But since you have to fly standby, it will take you three months to get back because you can’t get a seat.” -Pilot, South Carolina

Here’s a Little More Free Advice

“Cold on the airplane? Tell your flight attendant. We’re in a constant battle with them over the temperature. They’re moving all the time, up and down the aisles, so they are always calling and saying, ‘Turn up the air.’ But most passengers I know are freezing.” -Captain at a major carrier

“I always tell my kids to travel in sturdy shoes. If you have to evacuate and your flip-flops fall off, there you are standing on the hot tarmac or in the weeds in your bare feet.” -Joe D’Eon

“Most people get sick after traveling not because of what they breathe but because of what they touch. Always assume that the tray table and the button to push the seat back have not been wiped down, though we do wipe down the lavatory.” -Patrick Smith

“The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back. So if you’re really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can. Planes are generally warmest in the back.” -Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas

“I know pilots who spend a quarter million on their education and training, then that first year as a pilot, they qualify for food stamps.” -Furloughed first officer, Texas

Behind the Cockpit Door

“Do pilots sleep in there? Definitely. Sometimes it’s just a ten-minute catnap, but it happens.” -John Greaves

“People tend to think the airplane is just flying itself. Trust me, that’s not true. It can fly by itself sometimes. But you’ve always got your hands on the controls waiting for it to mess up. And it does mess up.” -Pilot, South Carolina

“One time I rode in the jump seat of a 747 freighter, which carries cargo, not passengers. As soon as the doors closed, the first officer went in back and put on a bathrobe and slippers. No kidding. He said, ‘I’ll be damned if I’m going to wear a tie for a bunch of boxes.’” -Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas

“We don’t wear our hats in the cockpit, by the way. On TV and in the Far Side comic, you always see these pilots with their hats on, and they have their headsets on over the hat, and that always makes us laugh.” -Joe D’Eon

“Remember this before you complain about the cost of a ticket: Fares today are about the same as they were in the 1980s.” -Patrick Smith

A Parting Thought

“Here’s the truth about airline jobs: You don’t have as much time off as your neighbors think you have, you don’t make as much money as your relatives think you make, and you don’t have as many girlfriends as your wife thinks you have. Still, I can’t believe they pay me to do this.” -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, North Carolina

Three Things Pilots Will Never Say

“We’re heading into some thunderstorms.” What they’ll say instead: “It looks like there’s some weather [or "rough air” or "rain showers"] up ahead.”

“One of our engines just failed.” What they’ll say instead: “One of our engines is indicating improperly.” (Or more likely, they’ll say nothing, and you’ll never know the difference. Most planes fly fine with one engine down.)

Well, folks, the visibility out there is zero. What they’ll say instead: “There’s some fog in the Washington area.”

Airline Lingo

Blue juice: The water in the lavatory toilet. “There’s no blue juice in the lav.”

Crotch watch: The required check to make sure all passengers have their seat belts fastened. Also: “groin scan.”

Crumb crunchers: Kids. “We’ve got a lot of crumb crunchers on this flight.”

Deadheading: When an airline employee flies as a passenger for company business.

Gate lice: The people who gather around the gate right before boarding so they can be first on the plane. “Oh, the gate lice are thick today.”

George: Autopilot. “I’ll let George take over.”

Landing lips: Female passengers put on their “landing lips” when they use their lipstick just before landing.

Pax: Passengers.

Spinners: Passengers who get on late and don’t have a seat assignment, so they spin around looking for a seat.

Two-for-once special: The plane touches down on landing, bounces up, then touches down again.

Working the village: Working in coach.

by Reader’s Digest Magazine

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Camping 101

Had it with the “rat race”? Got time off but not much cash to spend? Losing touch with your family? Sounds like an old-fashioned campout is just what you need.

Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and spend time getting reacquainted with your family. Great family camping getaways are easy to plan and inexpensive vacation options. Nature is everywhere, so you don’t need to travel far for your camping trip. You can journey to a national park, drive to a local campground, or pitch a tent in your own backyard.

Camping 101 begins with the planning. This part of the trip is half the fun. Call a family meeting to decide where you’d like to go. Depending on your budget, you can plan to load up the trunk with tents and sleeping bags, pull a camper or drive an RV. The point is to treat your family to an unforgettable outdoor adventure, so it doesn’t matter how you plan to camp or where you intend to go.

If you are new to the camping experience, it’s probably a good idea to start out slow. Book a weekend campsite to get the feel for the camping lifestyle. Get used to cooking over a wood fire and sharing your space with wildlife, before you venture too far away from the comforts of home. Many campgrounds provide fun activities like pools, playgrounds, fishing or recreational boating, so check your local listings to see what adventures lie ahead.

Once your kids (and you) recover from the shock of having no television or Internet access, you’ll all have an eye-opening experience. You’ll realize the nature is fun. Camping opens the doors to a world of new activities, like swimming, rock diving, boating, fishing, hiking, catching butterflies, searching for fossils, and going wherever your energy level and imagination can take you. Campgrounds and remote parks are all filled with wonderful ways to enjoy the best nature has to offer. If you want to boat or water ski, many campsites offer these and other items for rent.

Don’t expect to bring along your everyday dinnerware and automatic coffeepot for your campout. Remember, you will be roughing it, so pack accordingly. Bring plastic dishes and cutlery that can be washed and reused, but won’t break in transit. Make sure you have enough sleeping bags, pillows and extra clothes. Pack the food you’ll need, plus a little extra, and keep a supply of ice on hand for perishables like meat and dairy. If you’re bringing tins of beans, remember a manual can opener or pack your Swiss army knife. If you’re not sure what to bring, ask an associate at your local sporting store to help you choose your camping needs. Call on friends who like to camp, and ask them for advice.

Just like your old scoutmaster used to say, “Always be prepared”. Make a list and check it three times before you leave on your camping trip. Make sure that there is enough food and fresh water for everyone. Bring food that can be easily prepared on your campsite. Pack clothing for all kinds of weather. Don’t forget sunscreen, bug spray and hygiene items. Toilet paper and paper towels are absolute necessities. Bring along some soap and toothpaste, but leave the hair gel and makeup at home. Mother Nature doesn’t care what you look like. She just wants you to enjoy your stay.

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